It may sound unthinkable — the idea of denying life support to some people in a public health disaster like an epidemic. But a new report says doctors, health care workers and the public need to start thinking about it.

The headline is misleading; it’s not about choosing who gets a vent (everyone who needs one), it about what to do when they’re all in use, and another is needed: who gets taken OFF the vent?

I sincerely hope I’m never in the position to have to make that decision. Knock on wood, and all that.